Chain construction



May 22, 192s. 1,670,663

' S. A. JOHNSON ET AL CHAIN CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 24, 1927 l ATTORNEYS.

Palmieri may 22, ieee.

entre srnrss sYLvEs'IEn A. JOHNSON, or NORTH PROVIDENCE, ANnnoBERT voeren,v 4or PROVI- nnNon RHODE ISLAND, A'ssIeNOns fro AnfroiuArio GOLD CHAIN COMPANY, A f FIRM Courrosnn or EDWIN r. ivi. sPEInnI. AND ALBERT n. sPnInnI., Born or,

EDG-EWOOD, RHODE ISLAND.

' CHAIN CONSTRUCTION.

l 'Application filed January 24, 1927.` 1- Serial No. 163,067.

This invention relates to an improved construction of chain or bracelet formed of a plurality of units comprising relatively slidable links and is an improvement on.

the Construction illustratedv in copending patent application Serial No. 153,529, filed Dec. 9, 1926; and the'object of this invention f @DI or juncture connectingthe abutment finger to the guide link, whereby the effective strain Abetween the links under longitudinal tension will be at the strongest point.

1A still further object 'of the invention is to provide a sparate stopmember with lateral oppositely extendingstop `portions to be pog sit-ioned in the slideV link of thev type shownl l. in the copending` application vabove referred to. Y

' With these and other objects in view, the` invention vconsists of certain novel features of construction,y as willjbe more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims. y V In the accompanyingdrawings: I

f' Figure 1 is af perspectiveview showing a f series of links of the improved construction yconnected together.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the under side of one-of the guidelinks showingacen- ,tral-longitudinal spaceyin' the rear wall thereof and the abutment lingers in extended position on the rear wall portions thereof.'

Figure 3 is a bottom view of this guide link. Y Figure 4; is a` section of Figure 3,.

Figure 5is a perspective view of the slide link showing the narrow armk ofthe vband link as extendingl'beneath the hook-shaped portion formed on the broad arm of thev y 2 band. y

,Figure 6 is a bottom View ofthis slide link.

link. j

:Figure 8 is aperspective view ofthe stop Figure 7 isa sideeleva'tion'of thisslide y f the links due to. longitudinal tension ofthe bracelet, we have. positioned a stop toextend l 4-beneath the rear wall portionsvof'the guide Figure 9 is a perspective view in central section of the slide link with the stop member mounted therein.

Figure 10 is a sectional'view showing aplurality of slide links part of which areiny extended position with the stop memberl in one of the links and the remainder of the links show the stop member in the'v links partly removed to expose the spring.

'Figure 11 is a sectional edge view on line 11-11 of Figure 10 with the spring in several of the units removed. 'l

` Figure 12 is aperspective view partly broken away to illustrate the structureof the links of the unit.

Figure 13 is a perspective View ofthe slide link with the stop members formed integral therewith and extending from the folded endand from the sides ofthe relatively narrow arm.

Figure 14 is a modifiedview ,of the slide link showing the stop members as formed by integral portions extending :laterally i from the narrow arm of the slide link andbent 1 .downwardlyv sufficiently to extend vbeneath therear `wall portions of the guidelink. It is found desirable ink theconstruction of flexible bracelets having a plurality ofv connectediunits, to formeachunit of two relatively .slidable linksrwith a spring'actl ing between them,- the outer or vguidelink `being of sheetstock folded to'forin abroad front face with narrow side walls, each hav-` ing ,inwardly-extending.rear wall-portions spaced apart vleavinga longitudinally-r ilis- Slide link being of anelongated bandshape `posed. guide slot therein,l and thefinner or guidedbetweenthe'side walls of the` guide link with ahook portion `formed at one endy thereof. anda somewhatnarrower reararni to fit the longitudinal.slot4 of theguide link :and lie substantially in the` plane'thereof with, its end portion extendingL beneath the :hook land the spring being-positioned to act between the closed endof the slide linkfand' fingerabutmentfolded'v'from the rear wall` portionsof `the rguide link, and in order to' best withstand 'the effective strain on each of link and engage the abutment finger at their fold or juncture with the rear wall portions so that there is practically no leverage tend-A ing to spring these abutment fingers to an eX- fs tended position whereby the chain will withstand a great longitudinal strain. This stop also performs an important additional feature of preventing undue compression of the springs to injure the same; and the following li is a detailed description of the present embodimentof our invention showing one means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

With reference to the drawings, desiglf'v nates the guide link, the blank ofwhich is formed from sheet stock and subsequently Vfolded to provide a broad front wall 11 which may receive suitable ornamentation, with side walls 12, each of which is bent in- If* wardly towards each other to ferm rear wall portions 13 spaced apart to provide a longitudinally-disposed central space 141 between them. The edges of these side wall portions at one end are connected by an integral bar fil" 16 and at the opposite end of the guide link abutment fingers 16 extend 'to be bent inwardly, as illustrated in Figures 10, 11 and 12 to provide an abutment for the spring. l A slide link 17 is formed from sheet stock if and folded into band shape as illustrated in Figure `5 with a broad, front arm 18 of a width to be guided in its sliding movement between the side walls 12 of the guide link and a relatively narrow arm 19 positioned iti in substantially the same plane as the rear wall portions 13 to complete'the bottom wall of the unit and of a size to be guided between the edges thereof. The end of the i resilient arm 19 extends beneath the reduced '40. edges of a Vhook 2O formed from the rela-r tively broad arm 18 to close the hook, the samer being engageable with the cross-bar ofthe guide link of the'next adjacent unit for detachably connecting the unitstogether.

A spring is positioned within the Vbandshaped slide link to abut against the closed end 22 of this link and also is of a width to extend betweenthe folded nger abut` I ments of the guide link, as is clearly illus trated in Figure 12, whereby a relative yielding sliding movement of the links is permitted to expandthe bracelet.

It will be seen that the abutment fingers 16 prevent a detachment of the guide link and its slide link therein and in order that the strains on these abutment fingers may be at a point which will best resist their bending, I have positioned a stop member 23 beneath the narrower arm 19 of the slide link lwhich has-opposite laterally projecting portions 24 to extend beneath the rear wall porv l tions 13 in cont-act with the inner face thereof to eng yrage with the abutment` fingers 16 at the fold ror juncture connecting them with the rear Auvall portions, as is illustrated at 25,

in vFigure 11, by which it will be observed that the minimum amount of leverage tending to move the abutments 16 from their inwardly folded posit-ion is obtained, and also there is the advantage of preventing undue compression of the springs under longitudi nal strain.

lt will be apparent that the stop member may be formed in various ways and we have illustrated in Figure 13 the formation of the member 26 as integral with the closed end 27 of the band link, while in Figure 14, we have' illustrated the laterally-extending stop members 28 in the form of projections extending from the relatively narrow arm of the band link and defiected to extend beneath the rear wall portions of the guide link to permit the narrower arm 1 9 to lie substantially inthe plane of these rear wall portions to complete thebearing surface thereof.

In assembling each of the link units the slide link with the spring is positioned within the guide link and after compressing the spring the lingers 16 are folded into position to form abutments 'for the end of the spring and the units after assembled in this hook 2O andy positioning the bar 15 of the ysa guide link of the next adj acent'unit within the hook as will be clearly apparent from Figure 11.

Our improved bracelet or chain is very simple and practical in construction, the unit parts may be readily assembled and detached without the use of tools and by the use of a stop lmember positioned to engage the abutment at its strongest point a bracelet is provided which can withstand excessive strains without breakage and without injury to the springs for permitting yieldableex-l tension. j f

The foregoing descriptionV is f directed solelyT towards the construction illustrated, but we desire it to be understood that we reserve the privilege of resorting toall the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the vterms of the appended claims. Y y

We claim:

1. A bracelet structure comprising a series of extendible units, each having a sheet metal guide link with a slide link therein, an abutting finger folded from a portion of the guide link, a spring acting between said finger and slide link, and a stop carried by said slide link positioned to engage said finger at its fold or juncture connecting it to the guide link to limit the relative movement of said links. s 2. A braceletl structure comprising a. series of extendible units, each having a. guide link formed of sheet stock folded to provide a front wall,` side walls and spaced portions of a rear wall, an elongated bandshaped link slidable in said guide link, abutv a rear wall, said portions being spaced apart,l

an elongated band-shaped slide link in said guide link having a hook portion and having a broad arm member guided between the edge walls of the guide link anda narrow arm fitting between and lying substantially in the plane of said rear wall portions of said guide link, a spring guided between the vedge walls of the slide link andhaving one end acting on the slide link, and inturned i fingers on each rear wall portion of the guide link cooperating .to provide spaced abutments for the opposite end of said spring, and a stop carried by said slide link and eX- tending laterally in opposite directions beneath said rear wall portions and substantially in Contact therewith to engage said abutment fingers at substantially their junoture with the rear wall portions to limit the relative movement of said links.

. 4. A bracelet structure comprising a series of eXtendible link units, each lhaving a guide link formed of sheet stock folded to provide a front wall, side edge walls and portions ,of ya rear wall, said portions being spaced apart, an elongated band-shaped slide link in said guide link having a hook portion and having a broad arm member guided between the edge walls of the guide link and a narrow arm fittingbetween and lying substantially in the plane of said rear wall por tions of said guide link, a spring guided between the edge walls of theslide link and having one end actin@ on the slide link and inturned fingers on each rear wall yportion of the guide link cooperating to provide spaced abut-ments for the opposite end of said spring, and a separate stop member in contact with the inner surface of'said narrow arm and having opposite laterally-extending portions to slide along the inner surface of said rear wall portions and engage said abutment lingers at substantially their juncture with the rear wall portions to limit the rela# tive movement of said links.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

sYLvnsTEia A. Jonnsoiv. ROBERT voenn 

